Tufting machine attachment



1933' L. A. SMITH TUFTING' MACHINE ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H "lull in I 1;; IV

IHHHHI /0 (@JFI G 27 E 18 INVENTOR Apr]! 18, 1933. A. SMITH 1,903,946

TUFTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOYD A. SMITH, OF LA GRANGE, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO TRULINE, INCORPORATED, OF

' LA GRANGE, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA TUFTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Application filed August 1, 1930. Serial No. 472,299.

This invention relates to tufting machines and has for its object to simplify and cheapen the construction of such machines.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive attachment appropriate for use on an existing machine whereby that machine is adapted to form long loops or tufts with a device adapted to cut the tufts in an effective and simplified manner.

Referring to the drawings I Fig. 1 shows embodiment of this invention with the needle rising from its lowermost position.

Fig. 2 shows the'device of Flg. 1 with the needle in its upper position.

Fig. 3 is a left end view of the device of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the work suport. .Fig. 5 is a front View of the device of Fig. 4.-

Fig. 6 shows the clamping mechanism for the spaced guides. I

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the needle 8 is threaded with suitable strand 7 which is passed through the work 9 carried on the work support 10. The loops or tufts after being formed are cut and are of the'general shape indicated at 11. The machine has the customary presser foot and the usual feed dogs 13 provided with a convenient feed dog supporting and actuating mechanism 14. A looper 15 is clamped to the feed dog mechanism by means of a screw 16.

This looper is moved as the feed dogs move to cooperate with the needle and engage the strand as the needle moves upwardly holding the strand and forming loops or tufts. This looper passes between stationary spaced guides 17 and 18, the former of which is sharpened along its beveled edge illustrated to cooperate with the sharpened portion of the looper and shear the loops.

The guides 17 and 18 are clamped to the bridge member 20 supporting them from the bed of the machine.

Since there is no lower thread or bobbin required such is removed, and to avoid mashing the loops or tufts, there is preferably provided a work support 10 of the illustrated form. This comprises a plate 21 having therein the holes 22 for securing the same in position and the raised work supporting portion 10 keeps the work off the plate 21 to avoid mashing the loops. This work support 10 is narrow enough so as to fit between rows of already formed loops or where a plural needle machine is used it is provided with spaced work supporting portions to allow the already formed rows of tufts to pass between such portions. The needle passes through the recess 23 and after forming the tufts as the work is fed through the machine, they pass out through the slot 24: without being mashed.

In'Fig. 6 is shown the mechanism for clamping the guides 17 and 18 to the bridge member 20. The member 25 is secured to the bridge member 20 by means of the clamping bolts 26. The guides 17 and 18 are clamped against the member 25 by the bolt 27 having an enlarged head 28 provided with the projection 29. When the nut 31 is tightened and the spacer member 32 inserted between the guides 17 and 18, the head 28 of the bolt 27 clamps the guides in position. The threaded member 30 has its inner end provided with a socket to receive the projection 29. The spacer member 32 is of substantially the same, or Very slightly greater,

thickness than the looper. The guides and and also upon the distance from the outer end of the looper to the cutting edge or sharpened portion of the looper.

The adjustment of the stationary cutting member 17 longitudinally of the looper may be desirable according to the length of stitch being used, that is, the separation between tufts in the row, so that for a long stitch the stationary cutting member 17 may be moved toward the looper support, while for short stitches the member 17 may be moved toward the outer end of the looper so as not to have too many uncut loops on the looper.

If there are too many uncut tufts on the looper the work is held so firmly under the presser foot as to make the work turn with difliculty for working figure designs.

The timing of the feed dog mechanism will generally need changing in order to have the looper cooperate with the needle and engage the strand just after the needle has started its upward travel and a little slack has been formed. This adjustment in timing of the feed dog mechanism is made by moving the usual feed earn a part of a revolution on the main shaft by means of its set screw. The travel of the feed dog is controlled in the usual manner for controlling the number of stitches per inch, that is, the spacing between aligned tufts, and this adjustment is found in the usual sewing machines on the market today.

Adjustment of loop length is obtainable in two ways. For example, by loosening the screw 16 and adjusting the inclination of the looper 15, elevation of the outer end portion of the looper and the loop length can be varied. As the inclination of the looper is adjusted the stationary cutter member 17 should likewise be adjusted so that the shearing operation may take place where desired. Of course, the looper should never be adjusted to a position above a height where the guides and stationary cutting member cannot cooperate with it. Another way of changing the loop length is to install a new throat plate and a new set of feed dogs for raising or lowering the work and controlling the separation between the looper and work.

The friction of the loops with the work is suflicient to enable the cutting operation to take place without danger of pulling out the loops and none of the usual gripping members is necessary to hold the sides of the loop during the cutting operation. The bridge member 20 is attached to cast iron bosses such as are customarily used as a support to the bobbin and bobbin race of t e usual machine and these bosses are made available. for the tufting machine of the kind described as no bobbin is used.

Where the looper is shaped as illustrated the side of a loop where the shearing takes place will be slightly shorter than the other side but this difference is not objectionable where the looper is thin. To make both sides of the.cut loop of equal length, the looper should be provided with a bulging portion above the stationary cutter and of a size sufficient to make the otherwise short end equal in length of the side of the loop opposite the stationary cutter.

The adjustment of the stationary cutting member 17 longitudinally of the looper is made possible by means of the slots shown in the ends of the bridge member 20. This bridge member is clamped to bosses on the bed of the machine by machine screws with heads large enough to engage each side of the slot.

' Instead of changing the loop length by substitution of a new throat plate it has been found better to substitute a new looper of different shape so that the bottom edge is higher or lower as desired. The cost of the loopers is comparatively low and the substitution of a new looper is simpler than the substitution of a new throat plate. In changing the length of loop it is desirable to change the stroke of the needle in order that the needle may pull suflicient yarn, especially where a thread tension device is mounted on the top of the machine, as has been found desirable. Some convenient form of thread tension device has been mounted on the top of the sewing machine arm so that it will be about on the same level with the top of the needle bar when the needle is in about the mid-position of its stroke. The provision of such a thread tension device enables the latter portion of the upward travel of the needle bar to pull enough strand through the tension device to form a succeeding loop.

The commercial form of hinged pressure foot has been found desirable with this machine.

I claim:

1. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a looper, means for actuating the looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, a loop cutting means, and a support for both said feeding means and looper, at least part of said loop cutting means being fixed to said support.

2. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuatingmechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a looper entirely supported as a cantilever by said work feeding means.

3. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, said means including a feed dog below said work support, a looper below said feed dog and secured to the actuating mechanism for said feed dog, a portion of the looper being sharpened to constitute a loop cutting member.

4. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding thework through the machine, a work support, said means including a feed dog below said work support, a looper below said feed dog and secured to the actuating mechanism for said feed (log. a portion of means.

6. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a looper controlling the length of the loop being formed, means for actuating the me dle, for cooperation with the looper, to form a loop, and a loop cutter moved by said -work feeding means in the direction of the work travel through the machine.

7. A tufting machine comprisin a needle, actuating mechanism for the nee 1e, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, said means including a feed dog below said Work support, a looper below said feed dog and fixedly secured to the feed dog for vertical and horizontal movement therewith.

8. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the workthrough the machine, a looper, means for supporting and actuating the looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, said looper supporting means being reciprocable with a motion of translation, and means for fixedly securing said looper to said supporting means, said securing means being adjustable to control the angular position of said looper with respect to its support and in its plane of movement.

9. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feedingthe work through the machine, a looper carried by said feeding means, means for actuating the looper, for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, a support for said looper and fixed thereto, means for angularly adjusting the position of said looper in its plane of movement on its support to control the direction in which the looper extends during movement of said looper and support.

10. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, a looper, actuating mechanism for the looper, a portion of the looper being sharpened to constitute a loop cutting member, and a stationary loop cutting member mounted for cooperation with the sharpened portion of said looper to constitute a loop shearing means, said stationary loop main-her being ediastabl "engitudinally of the looper to control the place at which the shearing of said loop occurs.

11. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, a looper, actuating mechanism for the loo er, a portion of the looper being sharpene to constitute a loop cutting member, and a stationary loop cutting member mounted for cooperation with the sharpened portion of said looper to constitute a loop shearing means, said stationary loop cutting member being adjustable transversely of the looper.

12. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, a looper, actuating mechanism for the looper, a portion of the looper being sharpened to constitute a loop cutting member, and a stationary loop cutting member mounted for cooperation with the sharpened portion of said looper to constitute a loop shearing means, said stationary loop cutting member being adjustable both longitudinally and transversely of the looper.

13. A tufting machine attachment for a sewing machine comprising a looper secured to a feed dog mechanism and means for cutting a loop responsive to movement of said looper and mechanism.

14. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, means for forming tufts, a stationary tuft cutting member, and means for adjusting said tuft cutting member, in the direction of work travel for controlling the location at which the cutting operation occurs.

15. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, a looper fixed to the feeding means, actuating mechanism for the looper and means on the side of the work support opposite the needle mounting for shearing a loop held on said looper to reduce the pull on the loop during cutting and reduce any tendency for changing the length of a previously formed out loop.

16. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, means for forming tufts, a tuft cutting member, and means for adjusting said tuft cutting member, in the direction of work travel for controlling the location at which the cutting operation occurs.

17 A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a work support, a looper, actuating mechanism for the looper, means on the side of the work support opposite the needle mounting for shearing a loop held on said looper to reduce the pull on the loop during cutting and reduce any tendency for changing the length of a previously formed cut loop, and means to adjust said shearing means to control the location on the looper at which the loop cutting operation occurs.

18. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism therefor, a looper, mechanism for actuating the looper in timed relation to the needle, a feed dog, and actuating mechanism for the feed dog, said looper being attached to said feed dog.

19. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism therefor, a looper, mechanism for actuating the looper in timed relation to the needle, a feed dog, and actuating mechanism for the feed dog, said looper being fixedly attached to said feed dog.

20. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism therefor, a looper, mechanism for feeding the work through the machine and located on the same side of the work as said looper, mechanism for actuating the looper in timed relation to the needle, a stationary loop cutter, and a movable loop cutter for cooperation with the stationary loop cutter.

21. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, loop cutting mains, and means responsive to movement of the work feeding means for moving and actuating the looper and loop cutting means.

22. A tufting machine comprising a needle, actuating mechanism for the needle, means for feeding the work through the machine, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, loop cutting means,

and means responsive to movement of the work feeding means for moving and actuating the looper and loop cutting means, there being at least one uncut loop always on the looper during operation of the machine.

23. A tufting machine comprising a needle, a work support through which the needle is movable, a feed dog, actuating mechanism for the feed dog, alooper for cooperation with then'eedle to form a loop, said looper being movable in response to the feed dog actuating mechanism, and loop, shearing mechanism, at least a portion of the looper constituting one of a cooperative pair of shearing elements.

24. A tufting machine comprising a needle, a work support through which the needle is movable, a feed dog, actuating mechanism for the feed dog, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, said looper being movable to form a loop in response to the feed dog actuating mechanism, and a loop cutter adapted to sever a loop in response to movement of said looper.

25. A tufting machine comprising a needle, a work'support through which the needle is movable, a feed dog, actuating mechanism for the feed dog, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, said looper being movable in response to the feed dog actuating mechanism, and a loop cutter, a common support for at least portions of both the looper and feed dog, said cutter being carried at least in part by said looper.

26. A tuftin g machine comprising a needle, a work support through which the needle is movable, a feed dog, actuating mechanism for the feed dog, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop', said looper being movable to form a loop in response to the feed dog actuating mechanism, and a loop cutter adapted to sever a loop in response to movement of said feed dog actuating mechanism.

27 A tufting machine comprising a needle, a work support through which the needle is movable, a feed dog, actuating mechanism for the feed dog, a looper for cooperation with the needle to form a loop, said looper being movable in response to the feed dog actuating mechanism, and loop shearing mechanism, at least a portion of the looper 

